Most pilots, from novice student pilots to seasoned airline captains, seek ways of improving their flying skills and ways to avoid repeating errors in piloting, which they or other pilots have made. Such errors include errors in handling the airplane, such as flying too fast or too slow. They also include errors in executing certain flight procedures, for example, turning too soon or too late, misusing navigational aids and thus not flying along assigned routes, and flying higher or lower than instructed. Every pilot makes mistakes from time to time, and in most cases the mistakes are benign. However, in some instances pilot errors can compromise the safety of the flight. If the pilot is not aware of the mistakes made, he may repeat them, and in some cases the results could be dire.
A 2001 study by the Federal Aviation Administration, entitled “A Human Error Analysis of Commercial Aviation Accidents Using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS),” demonstrated that most airplane accidents are the result of human errors. The percentage is higher in General Aviation (GA), likely because GA pilots on average receive less training than pilots of commercial flights, and also because GA planes, on average, are less equipped than planes used in commercial flights.
With current technology, pilots might be unaware of some of their errors, and thus might repeat them. Aircraft used in commercial aviation, especially those used in scheduled flights, often have systems for informing the pilots about certain human errors, and in some cases, even correcting the errors automatically. But even in aircraft with sophisticated avionics systems, many human errors go unnoticed and may result in an accident. The situation in GA may be worse. Thus, a technology for helping pilots to be aware of and understand their mistakes might increase the pace of pilots' self improvement and increase flight safety. Particularity for GA aviation, such a technology should be affordable.
Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure may mitigate or solve the problems identified above. Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure may provide tools for logging flight data, for collecting additional data relevant for flight analysis, for automatically analyzing data using mathematical, statistical and heuristical methods of that data after the flight has ended, and for presenting that analysis using graphical and textual visualization aids. Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure may be utilized interoperatively, as a comprehensive flight data collection and analysis system.